South Island 2.0- Our adventure at the other end of the world

Well the first thing that awaited us was a bed in an 8-bed room at "Bumbel's Backpacker-Hostels" in Queenstown. Cheers to proper mattresses with the hope that our hip and back pain would soon get better. We were glad to sleep in a heated room at night and no longer see our breath in what felt like freezing temperatures. For a change, we treated ourselves to a few more hours of sleep to plan the upcoming time. In the afternoon, we strolled through the beautiful ski town of Queenstown. Here, there are super cute shopping streets, small cafes, and a very well-known burger joint that we were recommended by many travelers. For us, it was clear: we cannot miss the so-called "FERGBURGER"! Despite the warning that sometimes you have to wait in a long line in front of the shop for 45-60 minutes, we queued up and fortunately got served quickly! After a short while, we were allowed to bite into the aromatic burger and in an even shorter time, it was unfortunately already gone. Our conclusion: an absolute must-do in Queenstown.

We were all excited about Queenstown because until now the cities in the south were rather plain and unlovingly designed, and here the opposite awaited us. A modern, beautiful city with an impressive location by the lake amidst snow-covered mountains - simply fantastic. But after two nights, we had to say goodbye again. Our goal was to cross to the North Island on the ferry in about 3 weeks. Let's see if we can make it...

Due to the exchange from our camper to our car, our route on the island had changed slightly. But since we didn't want to miss anything, we headed back to the south of the island. From Invercargill, where we stayed with a very hospitable family, we planned a day road trip through the "Caitlins". For us, this meant a 6-hour drive through an incredibly impressive natural landscape. It could definitely be worse for us. With great music, nice conversation topics, and the impressive view passing by the window, it was an unforgettable day. At some places, we got out, for example, to walk to the "Purakaunui Waterfalls" or to see the southernmost point of New Zealand, called "Slope Point". At "Curio Bay", we hoped to be able to observe dolphins and penguins. Unfortunately, it was very cold, windy, and rainy, so not exactly the best conditions to look out at the wild sea for a long time. So, this highlight was sadly missed on that day. But this little disappointment was immediately made up for by the view on the way back.

However, the next day we had to say goodbye to the great house, the sympathetic couple, and the farmland.

For us, this day led to Te Anau, a small town at the gateway to Fiordland.

Here we met a German girl, a funny Frenchman, and his English friend. Together we were a very funny, mixed group and spent two nice evenings with many funny conversations about all sorts of topics. But not only thanks to the three of them did we have a great time here. It was mainly because of our trip to "Milford Sound", the fjord that is referred to as the "eighth wonder of the world" multiple times.

Due to bad weather, the only road that leads there was closed in the morning. Luckily, it was announced around noon: Free pass!

Carefully and with enough respect for the mountain pass through snow-covered mountains and rainforest, we set off. Unfortunately, the weather on-site was not very promising either. Fiordland was mostly disappeared in the fog. Nevertheless, it was a very impressive and mystical natural spectacle. In hindsight, we are sure that a boat trip through Milford Sound would have definitely been worth it. But with the bad weather, it was the right decision for us to skip it. On the way back, we could hardly recognize the signs due to the fog and we were all glad to finally arrive at the hostel after several hours.

Our next stop on the route was Wanaka, another idyllic town with a unique view of lakes and mountains. We could not miss this view and therefore hiked up "Mount Iron" the next morning. From here, we could enjoy the full beauty of nature around us. With an apple as sustenance, we descended several meters in the direction of Lake Wanaka. Here, there is said to be a "lonely tree" in the middle of the water. Ok, on-site it was significantly less spectacular than expected, but well. We spent the evenings mainly in the hostel's own bar with various games, such as billiards.

From here, we drove across Arthur's Pass to ultimately arrive in Greymouth, a town on the west coast.

At this point, we absolutely have to mention that the roads in New Zealand are often a real challenge. Narrow, hardly any guardrails, not even when there is a drop of almost hundreds of meters next to you, and 90 percent of the roads are single-lane. Oh yes, and then there are also the New Zealanders who always drive faster than us and seemingly enjoy cutting every corner without visibility. Well, at least they are nice and thank you when you let them go.

Arriving in Greymouth, then looking at our phones, checking social networks, and then the joyful coincidence. Lilly, one of our school friends who is doing an au pair year in Auckland and is currently on the South Island for a few days, is in the exact same place. A quick call and then the unplanned reunion a few weeks ahead of schedule. It was super nice for us and a piece of home on the other side of the world. Together, we spent the whole evening and chatted until late into the night.

Unfortunately, we had to say goodbye on that day as well, but luckily only for a while because in a few weeks we will already be in Auckland and then we will meet again!

The next highlight on our list were the "Pancake Rocks". Directly on the coast in front of a large rainforest, the impressive rocks stretched out. Their appearance is reminiscent of stacked pancakes, which is why they have earned their name and made us crave the delicacy. But no such luck. Today, for a change, we have noodles again.

We are slowly realizing that our time on the South Island is coming to an end.

From here, there were only three remaining destinations until we would take the ferry with our car. This means nothing else but to enjoy every remaining moment, every beautiful spot of nature as much as possible and try to store as much as possible in our memory.

Just like our little wooden hut near Nelson. Our landlord also owns a dog kennel and so it was clear that we spent the better part of the afternoon in the company of numerous cute dogs. In the time until bedtime, we strolled through the nearby port city.

From here, we went all the way to the north of the island, where we were allowed to stay in our own apartment in the midst of the rainforest. What a dream! Without direct neighbors, roads, or other sources of light, it was a fantastic opportunity to observe the starry sky. With countless sparkling stars above us and warming electric blankets beneath us, we slept like angels!

That was good as the next morning a beautiful and at the same time very strenuous hike awaited us. The starting point was "Cape Farewell" and from here we were supposed to go to "Wharariki Beach". The only problem was that there was no hiking trail in sight far and wide. The only clues were occasional red signposts that led us directly along the hilly sheep pastures to the cliffs. Very adventurous with an unimaginably beautiful view over the vast green and the open sea. Occasionally, we could even see the sheep playing with their lambs right next to us. For all of us, definitely a beautiful excursion at the end of our time on the South Island!

"The last few weeks have flown by!" - that was THE realization that came over us in Picton. We spent our last evening with many Germans who all stayed at the same hostel.

A few hours later, we were sitting on the ferry that would take us to Wellington within the next four hours.

Goodbye South Island, you were a beautiful adventure!

Here's to more beautiful weeks in the North.